Fourth-quarter net earnings fell to $60 million, or 4 centsper share, from $107 million, or 7 cents per share, a yearearlier, the company said.

Excluding special items, earnings were 11 cents per share,matching the average estimate on Wall Street, according toThomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue dipped to $1.82 billion from $1.85 billion as salesslipped in the interventional cardiology business, which sellsheart stents, and in the cardiac rhythm management business,which sells pacemakers and implantable heart defibrillators.Those two businesses make up more than half of BostonScientific's total revenue.

The company forecast first-quarter earnings of 4 cents to 7per share. It expects adjusted earnings, excluding charges forrestructuring, acquisitions and amortization, to be 14 cents to17 cents per share, with sales of $1.74 billion to $1.82billion.

For the full year, Boston Scientific estimated earnings at29 cents to 37 cents per share. It said it expected adjustedearnings of between 64 cents and 70 cents per share on sales of$7.05 billion to $7.35 billion.